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Priscilla Harrington

Herbert Bolton is my 2nd cousin 2x removed. His parents are Nicholas Bolton and Elizabeth Ann Ainsworth. Our common ancestors are John Carradice and Ann Ridley, my 3x great grandparents.

Herbert was born in 1889 in Kendal, Westmorland and his birth is registered in Q1.

On the 19 February 1910 Herbert married Priscilla Harrington at St. James Church in Halifax, West Yorkshire. They set up home back in Kendal and the 1911 census shows them living at Yard No 5, 51 Stricklandgate, Kendal.

Herbert and Priscilla had two sons – John William born on 9 September 1911 and Sydney born on 1 September 1913.

Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914. Ten days later on 14 August Herbert enlisted at Kendal. He was assigned to the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) 60th Field Ambulance. His military service number was 30398.

Herbert was initially assembled with the rest of the division in Aldershot. I found a medical record showing that he was hospitalised from 20 October 1914 to 20 November 1914 with gonorrhoea.

They spent several months undergoing training and getting their equipment in place. The Division was inspected by King George V at Knighton Down on 24 June 1915, by which time all equipment had arrived and the Division was judged ready for war.

Herbert embarked from Southampton on 20 July 1915 and arrived at Le Harve the next day. On 26 July 1915 the Division completed concentration in the Saint-Omer area, all units having crossed to France during the preceding few days. Early trench familiarisation and training took place in the Fleurbaix area.

The Division served on the Western Front for the remainder of the war, taking part in many of the significant actions.

Herbert’s military career was apparently going well and he was appointed to corporal on 29 September 1916 and then promoted to lance sergeant on 29 January 1917.

Things went badly wrong for Herbert when he received gunshot wounds to his back on 1 December 1917. I can’t be sure which battle this was in but I suspect it was as part of The Cambrai Operations – http://www.1914-1918.net/bat21.htm

Sadly Herbert died as a result of his wounds on 7 December 1917 in No. 16 General Hospital at Le Treport.

He is buried at the Mont Huon Military Cemetery, Le Treport. There are now 2128 Commonwealth burials of the First World War in the cemetery and seven from the Second World War. The cemetery also contains more than 200 German war graves.

Mont Huon Military Cemetery, Le Treport

Priscilla was awarded a pension of 26s 8d from 10 June 1918 for herself and two children. Later that year she remarried in Newark, Nottinghamshire to James Hall.